Talansky - Surprisingly well

Off the bus quotes13.07.2014Stage 9- Gérardmer / Mulhouse

Andrew Talansky has been the unluckiest of the favorites in the last couple of days, crashing twice in spectacular fashion in the finale in Nancy and again in Gerardmer on Saturday.

Yet the American escaped mostly unhurt and was still hoping for a good overall result in Paris."I'm surprisingly well. I escaped relatively unscathed from the crashes. I'm lucky to still be in the race when Chris Froome is home. The form is here, the team is doing great," the Dauphine winner said."Two minutes in the end is nothing," added the Garmin Sharp leader, who lies 16th overall. Australian Richie Porte, the Team Sky team leader after Froome's withdrawal, was also in good spirits at the start in Gerardmer: "The hard times are behind us. Today, I hope well all stay calm. Today is a race for a stage win and the polka-dot," he said.

For the first time, Tony Martin has won a different stage than a time trial at the Tour de France but it looked like a time trial as he used the mid mountains stage in the Vosges to ride away with Alessandro De Marchi for 90 kilometres and solo for 59 kilometres! It was an enormous exploit by the German world champion for time trial but not the only amazing achievement of this eventful day as Frenchman Tony Gallopin took over from Vincenzo Nibali in the overall lead.